Standing up to stereotypes

For several months, posters have been hanging at CSU San Marcos that address the issue of cultural appropriation.

One of the posters features Amiyonette “Maya” Hesaynehe Goodblanket of the school’s American Indian Student Alliance.

Goodblanket, 23, was raised in Escondido but her family comes from the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma. She participated in the campaign, which will be at Kellogg Library through May 22, to bring awareness to her heritage.

Goodblanket is a college senior finishing up a degree in psychology, waitressing at Valley View Casino & Hotel and applying to graduate school.

She explains why this poster project, which includes various other cultures living in North County, is important.

Q: What’s the goal of CSUSM’s poster campaign?

A: To help open the eyes of different students about what is appropriate when it comes to other peoples’ culture, along with reminding students that there is more to people of different cultures than just the typical stereotypes.

Q: Why is a campaign like this needed?

A: Because people are so often ignorant to the difference between appreciating someone else’s culture and appropriating someone else’s culture. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating someone else’s culture as long as it’s done in a respectful way. I don’t think most people are purposely being disrespectful, I think they’re just ignorant to what is respectful. When someone sees a Native American, they may think buckskin, rain dance, feathers, teepees and casinos when there is much, much more to Native Americans than that. They may want to wear a headdress or dress up like a “sexy Pocahontas” during Halloween without realizing that it is disrespectful to Native Americans. Head dresses are very sacred to Native Americans and the “sexy Pocahontas” thing is rather ridiculous.

Q: What has been the reaction from the students or people who have seen the posters?

A: People have seemed to be really intrigued by these posters. People often ask me what was the purpose and have wanted to know more about my role. People have seemed to really like the campaign and have appreciated it very much. It’s been great to see the purpose of the campaign, to bring awareness to cultural appropriation, come to life with many students and people that I have encountered.

Q: Can you share with us the meaning of your last name?

A: Goodblanket came from my grandpa’s grandfather. I’m not sure of the spelling of Goodblanket in Cheyenne, but it’s something like “pah-whoom.” They used to wear robes or blankets a long time ago and they would decorate them with beads, quill and even paint. His blanket was decorated really nicely and he took the name “pah-whoom.” In Cheyenne, it has a more visual meaning but when translated to English it is Goodblanket. The ones who translated were not Cheyenne and were assigning names during the Dawes Rolls (a federal census that created an official membership roster for five tribes).﻿

Q: What are some common misconceptions about Native Americans that you encounter?

A: I remember being asked once if my dad still lives in a teepee when I was doing a school project. Some think that Native Americans dance around a fire and yell war cries, others think that being Native American means that you’ll get a bunch of money from the casinos. I have been asked many times how much money I get from my tribe, which isn’t much. The money that Natives receive shouldn’t be the only thing that defines them. My friend works for her tribe in Oklahoma and recently told me about a phone call she got from someone who said that they went to Ancestry.com and found out that they are part Native American. They wanted to know how they could enroll in the tribe so they could get money. This is another sad reality that Natives have begun to face.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?

A: My dad once told me, “Don’t stray too far from the teepee.” This is something that I have held on to in my life in many ways. This means more than one thing to me. It reminds me to stay connected to my spiritual side and the Native traditions that I have been a part of; to stay connected to my culture and be proud of my Native heritage; to stay connected to my family. Lastly, it reminds me to live in a good, positive way and be a role model to my little brothers, nieces, nephews, and all my younger cousins.

Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: My ideal weekend in San Diego would include not having any homework or exams that I need to study for and having the weekend off from work. It would also include a nice hike in Ramona, a tanning session at the beach in Carlsbad. I would like to walk around Carlsbad Village and grab a good bite to eat somewhere. My ideal weekend would include spending time with my boyfriend and having a nice family dinner with my mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew. I would just like to enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather and spending time with my loved ones.

What I love about Escondido...

I basically grew up in Escondido. I love it because I have a lot of memories from when I was a child. I was actually able to buy the house that I grew up in, which has been in my family for many generations. My great-grandma lived there, along with my grandma, my mom, my sister and I, and even my niece. That’s five generations of women! One of the main things I love about Escondido is the mountains that surround it. I always look forward to seeing them whenever I have gone away on a trip and am returning home.